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Jewish Theology World Religions An offprint from JEWISH THEOLOGY AND WORLD RELIGIONS N Edited by alon goshen-gottstein and eugene korn This material is copyright-protected and may not be be reproduced in any form without the express written permission of the author of the article, the editor of the volume in which it was originally published, and the publisher of the volume. Any requests for permission to use this material in whole or in part should be addressed in the first instance to the Littman Library at <[email protected]>, and all such requests should include details of the precise use intended. Oxford · Portland, Oregon The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization 2012 The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization Chief Executive Officer: Ludo Craddock Managing Editor: Connie Webber PO Box 645 , Oxford OX 2 0 UJ , UK www.littman.co.uk ——— Published in the United States and Canada by The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization c/o ISBS, 920 NE 58 th Avenue, Suite 300 Portland, Oregon 97213 -3786 © The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization 2012 All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of The Littman Library of Jewish Civilization A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Library of Congress cataloging-in-publication data Jewish theology and world religions / edited by Alon Goshen-Gottstein and Eugene Korn. p. cm. – (The Littman library of Jewish civilization) Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. Judaism–Relations. 2. Religions. 3. Theology. 4. Judaism—Doctrines. I. Goshen-Gottstein, Alon. II. Korn, Eugene, 1947 – BM 534 .J 49 2012 296 .3'9–dc 23 2011031222 ISBN 978 –1–906764 –09 –8 Publishing co-ordinator: Janet Moth Production: John Saunders Design: Pete Russell, Faringdon, Oxon. Copy-editing: Mark Newby Index: Christine Headley Typeset by John Saunders Design & Production, Eastbourne Printed in Great Britain on acid-free paper by T.J. International Ltd, Padstow, Cornwall. Towards a Jewish Theology of World Religions Framing the Issues alon goshen-gottstein introduction heology of religions is an area of reflection that has grown in promi - Tnence in recent years. Social and political changes, dating from before the Second World War , have given new urgency to relations between faiths and their practitioners. The marked increase in interfaith activity makes reflection on the status of other religions a pressing concern. The great increase in such activity has led to the identification and blossoming of this area as a distinct sub-field of theology. Regardless of the religion from whose perspective such reflection is undertaken, any contemporary theology of religions draws from perspectives articulated throughout that religion’s history. Yet the field of the - ology of religions offers perspectives on other religions that are appropriate to contemporary social realities often radically different from those prevailing in earlier periods. This does not automatically mean that a pluralistic perspective that recognizes the other’s religion is taken or that a relativistic perspective of one’s own religion need be adopted, but it does mean that the challenges of religious pluralism loom large on the theological horizon. Even if the theolo - gian rejects a pluralistic position, he or she is forced to state a position in dia - logue with pluralistic theologians. Theology of religions has grown in the shadow of religious pluralism and the increase in interfaith dialogue, and hence it provides the framework for thinking through one’s views of other religions with an emphasis on the challenges of religious pluralism. These include the full or partial validation of other religions and a reframing of the unique posi - tion, role , and mission of one’s own religion. The discipline of theology of religions grew initially on Christian soil. More than any other thinkers, Christians of all denominations have engaged with the issues and developed the discipline. This is as true of the work of individual theologians as it is of church documents, among which the Second Vatican 2 Alon Goshen-Gottstein Council’s Nostra aetate takes pride of place. Jewish theologians and others have entered the discussion following the lead, and in many cases also the language and categories, of Christian scholars and thinkers. There are several distinct factors that make a contemporary Jewish assessment of world religions urgent and timely, both in terms of the broader social currents that have had an influence upon the emergence of the field of theology of reli - gions and in terms of Judaism’s particular history, mission , and self-identity. Fundamental changes have occurred both in Jewish history and in Judaism’s rela - tions with other religions, including changes in the theology of other religions, advances in interreligious relations , and the new historical situation represented by the creation of the State of Israel. Each of these alone might have necessitated a re -examination of Jewish attitudes to other religions, but the creation of the State of Israel is particularly significant. Changes in power relations between religions and the task of articulating a spiritual vision for humanity related to the mission of the Jewish state could drive a sustained programme of theological reflection. Regrettably, however, little thought has been given to these issues from the Israeli perspective. Most Israeli and Jewish energies have been focused on ensuring Jewish survival and continuity. Jewish creative energies have been turned mainly inwards, and almost no serious thought has been devoted to the theological challenges to Judaism posed in our contemporary context. Theology of religions as a discipline has a quest common to all religions : defining a given religion’s views of other religions. However, each religion must undertake this task in a way that is suitable to its own history and theology, as well as other significant factors, such as law or precedent. A contemporary Jewish theology of religions must draw on previous articulations of Jewish views of other religions. Each period of Jewish thought has bequeathed distinct positions and resources to this enterprise. The work of the contemporary Jewish theolo - gian thus involves drawing from previous periods, assessing earlier views, exam - ining changing historical circumstances , and articulating a vision for the future. But perhaps the most important characteristic of the theology of religions is its attempt to grasp the issues in their entirety and offer an overview of a religion’s views of other religions. New context and comprehensive vision single out a con - temporary theology of religions from the cumulative perspectives of generations that provide the basis for the contemporary theologian’s reflections. This is cer - tainly true for a contemporary Jewish theology of religions. In this chapter, I shall present an overview of the broad range of issues that must be re -examined in order to construct a contemporary Jewish theology of world religions. 1 I hope the presentation is sufficiently comprehensive to offer 1 These ideas have been expressed in two earlier Hebrew articles. An overview of the issues, with an emphasis on how these relate to contemporary practices of interfaith dialogue, was offered in Alon Goshen-Gottstein, ‘Theology of Interreligious Dialogue: A Preliminary Mapping’ (Heb.), Framing the Issues 3 a map of the field and a plan for future work. Even if much of what follows is drawn from classical sources, as indeed any theology of religions must be, drawing the resources together, choosing among them , and framing the issues for the future are all done with an awareness of the contemporary context. The essay is my attempt to specify what is involved in articulating a contemporary Jewish theology of religions. In addition to mapping the field, I will also suggest specific positions within it that seem most appropriate to the needs of a contemporary Jewish theology of world religions. judaism and world religions: the challenge of particularity Any religion’s attempt to develop a theology of other religions must grow out of concepts particular to that religion. Consequently, each religion must tackle questions particular to the history of its view of other religions and its internal concerns. In the case of Judaism, we recognize two core questions, and addressing these two questions is the key to developing a contemporary Jewish theology of world religions. Both questions touch upon religious particularity, and their conjunction is crucial to recognizing the challenges facing a contem - porary Jewish theology. Two interrelated conceptual foci underlie Jewish par - ticularity: faith in revelation and faith in the election of the Jewish people. It is not simply the faith in one God that distinguishes Judaism from other world religions, for some of those others share that faith. Rather, differences arise with regard to how God reveals himself and which community receives his word and carries it through history to eschatological fulfilment .2 Judaism’s par - ticular spiritual profile is derived from the faith that a particular revelation took place at Sinai, was given to a particular nation chosen for this task, and it is that nation that traverses history to offer testimony to the God who chose his people and gave them his Torah. The theological challenge that any Jewish theology of world religions must meet is how to uphold faith in the Jewish particularity arising from these two core beliefs, with an openness that makes space for the spiritual and religious existence of others. 3 This is not simply a conceptual or theological challenge, Akdamot , 18 (2007 ), 6–40 . A focus on the issues from the perspective of religious pluralism was offered in Alon Goshen-Gottstein, ‘Interreligious Pluralism: Challenges and Parameters Towards Articulating a Jewish Theology of World Religions’ (Heb.), in S. Fischer and A. Seligman (eds.), The Burden of Tolerance: Religious Traditions and the Challenge of Pluralism [Ol hasolvanut: mesorot datiyot ve’etgar hapeluralizm] (Jerusalem, 2007 ), 330 –54 .
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